


Madame Vastra's Outing

by literaryshoes



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-09 17:07:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5548496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literaryshoes/pseuds/literaryshoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Madame Vastra investigates a "monster," and meets some friends. Takes place before "The Snowmen."</p>
<p>A Doctor Who Secret Santa gift for Tumblr user stygiz.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Madame Vastra's Outing

A chill wind blew through the London streets, whistling between buildings. A lone figure walked a narrow street, ducking into a doorway to avoid a draft. She adjusted her veil, glad for the additional warmth it provided in addition to hiding her face. She’d heard intriguing and slightly troubling stories of late, and had come to investigate. Her hope was that she wasn’t too late. She readjusted the veil, making certain to tuck in the ends so that the wind would not catch it and reveal her face for the world to see.

Madame Vastra stepped out of the doorway and almost immediately collided with a young man in a brown suit. The man looked at the woman, surprised that she seemed to have materialized out of nowhere. “Sorry; are you all right?” asked the man, his brown eyes revealing concern laced with suspicion.

“Perfectly,” said Vastra. She looked at him, scrutinizing, and her eyes widened slightly as she realized whom it was she had found herself face to face with. The lack of surprise at encountering an oddly-dressed woman. His own unusual attire. The concern in his eyes for someone he’d just met. It had to be the Doctor. Once again Vastra found herself glad for her veil. It would not do to let the Doctor know she’d recognized him, especially before they had officially met. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” said the Doctor. “I’m just looking for…”

He was cut off by the arrival of a young woman in a red leather jacket. She stopped, winded, and leaned against a wall to catch her breath. Madame Vastra studied her with no small amount of interest. It was rare that she found humans aesthetically pleasing, but this one was very pretty, with soft brown skin and dark hair. “Do you have any idea how difficult it is to keep up with you sometimes?” the young woman wheezed.

The Doctor grinned. “Just keeping you on your toes, Martha.”

“Right,” said Martha. She finally caught a glimpse at Vastra. “Who are you?”

“My name is Madame Vastra, and I am here looking into certain stories I have heard recently.” Once again, Vastra was glad the others couldn’t see her face. Her smirk would have given the Doctor pause.

“Stories? Love a good story. What kind of stories?” said the Doctor.

“Well, there is talk that there is some kind of monster who lurks in the shadows of these alleys and steals chickens,” said Madame Vastra.

“Chickens?” said Martha.

The Doctor shrugged. “I’ve heard of people stealing stranger things. Tie clips. Name tags. Left shoes.”

“It doesn’t sound very threatening, if all it’s doing is stealing chickens,” said Martha.

“Now, now, Martha. First you’re stealing chickens, then next thing you know you’re stealing weapons codes and staging military coups,” said the Doctor.

Madame Vastra shook her head. “If you are so worried, I suppose you should come along, then,” she said, and began walking toward a nearby butcher shop without bothering to see whether the Doctor or Martha were following her. The Doctor looked over at Martha, then immediately began following Madame Vastra. Martha rolled her eyes and sighed, but followed.

Vastra stopped short. There, heading away from the back door of the butcher shop, was a figure racing through the alleyway. The shape appeared to be about four feet tall, and running very quickly, most likely away from the butcher, who had poked his head out the back door and was brandishing a knife in an undeniably threatening manner. Vastra casually reached into her pocket and handed him a sovereign, after which he gratefully and silently retreated inside.

“What was that?” said Martha. Vastra was hardly surprised to observe that the two of them had followed her.

“I believe that would be our monster,” said Vastra. “More importantly, I think I know what it is.”

“Good,” said the Doctor. “Maybe I can help.”

“I think it would be best if I approached alone,” said Madame Vastra, “at least for now. If I need your help, I will let you know.”

The Doctor scowled. “I do know what I’m doing,” he said.

Vastra chuckled. “Of that I have no doubt. However, I think in this case it might be best if I approached. This creature is obviously frightened, and since I know what we are dealing with, I am the one in the best position to handle it should anything go wrong.”

The Doctor made a distasteful face. “Fine,” he said. “But if I don’t hear from you in five minutes, I’m following.”

“Very well,” said Madame Vastra, and she entered the alleyway behind the figure.

It was huddled in a corner near a tiny fire, just a few sticks bundled together. It was wearing the tatters of an old coat, and beneath that a ragged dress. It was holding the chicken over the fire in a desperate attempt to heat it up. It looked up as Vastra’s shadow fell over the fire, frozen in fear. Vastra, however, smiled gently at the small figure.

“Hello, little one,” she said. “Are you hungry?”

The child looked surprised to be addressed with concern instead of fear. She looked up at Vastra, and Vastra immediately understood why she had felt the need to hide. This child was a Silurian. The child looked slightly suspicious of Vastra, being much more used to being screamed at and chased, but nodded.

Vastra smiled. “Well, let’s see what we can do to fix that.” She searched the alleyway for scraps of paper and twigs, anything that would catch fire, and added it to the child’s tiny bundle of firewood. Soon enough, she had built a small but pleasantly warm fire. The child smiled up at her, moving the chicken closer to the flame.

“I’ve been eating them cold, but they’re much nicer warmed up,” said the child. “Makes me feel warmer.”

Vastra knelt beside the child. “What’s your name?” she asked.

“Taharis,” said the child.

“Well, Taharis,” said Madame Vastra, “I’m going to show you something. And what I’m going to show you is a secret. Can you keep a secret for me?”

Taharis nodded, and Madame Vastra lifted her veil. Taharis’s eyes went wide, and then she broke into a brilliant smile.

“Could you tell me how you got here, Taharis?” said Madame Vastra.

“I found a tunnel, and I didn’t know where it went. I tried to tell my parents and my older brother, but they wouldn’t listen to me. So I went through it to see where it went. And when I tried to find the tunnel later, I couldn’t remember where it was,” said Taharis.

“Maybe we could help you find it,” said a voice from behind Vastra and Taharis. Vastra didn’t have to turn to realize that the Doctor had followed through on his promise to find them. Taharis looked frightened, but Vastra simply offered her a gentle smile.

“He won’t hurt you,” said Vastra gently. “He’s a friend, and he wants to help you get home.”

Taharis looked over at her chicken, still uneaten. “Can I have my dinner first?”

The Doctor laughed, a surprised laugh with no trace of mocking or derision in it. “Of course.” Taharis smiled shyly, and tucked into her meal.

Vastra looked over at the Doctor, and realized an instant later that she had neglected to put her veil back down. The Doctor, to his credit, simply smiled. “I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself. I’m the Doctor,” he said. “That’s my friend Martha Jones.”

“Hi,” said Martha, smiling gently down at Madame Vastra and the child.

“Pleased to officially meet you,” said Madame Vastra. “Martha, do you think you would be able to procure some warmer attire for Taharis here?”

“Oh, of course,” said Martha. “Poor thing, looks like she’s freezing. I’ll be right back.” She dashed in the direction of the TARDIS. She knew she’d find some clothes there.

Vastra smiled. “Now, then, Taharis, what do you remember about where the tunnel is?”

“There was a building next to it,” said Taharis between bites of chicken. “A red building, with a lamp outside.”

“A gas lamp?” asked Vastra. “Or a lantern?”

“Stuck into the ground,” said Taharis.

“All right. A red building near a gas lamp. Were there people around?” asked Vastra.

“One person in black clothes,” said Taharis. “One person in big white clothes. Then lots of other people in fancy clothes. I had to hide really fast so none of them would see me, but it looked like they were all paying attention to the people in black and white clothes anyway.”

“That sounds like a wedding,” said the Doctor. “So it was probably a church.”

Vastra thought a moment. “I think I know where that might be,” she said. “Once Martha brings you some warmer clothes, and you’ve finished your meal, I can take you there.”

Taharis nodded, continuing to eat her chicken.

Martha returned a couple minutes later with a longer dress and a heavy winter coat. “Here you go,” she said, offering them to Taharis. “Let me know if they don’t fit.”

Taharis took the clothes, then looked at the others. “Can I go somewhere to put these on?”

“Come with me,” said the Doctor, offering Taharis his hand. Taharis smiled and took the proffered hand. Martha tentatively offered Taharis her hand, and Taharis accepted her hand too. The Doctor and Martha walked back to the TARDIS, Taharis between them and Madame Vastra following.

The Doctor opened the TARDIS doors, and Taharis marveled at the interior. “It’s so big!”

Martha smiled. “Come on. I’ll help you find a dressing room, so you don’t get lost.”

Madame Vastra looked around, trying her best to hide how impressed she was. Despite having known the Doctor for a number of years, this was the first time she had actually been inside the TARDIS. The Doctor she couldn’t help but refer to as “her Doctor” had tried to forget the idea of taking his friends on adventures, and had never even considered showing her the interior.

“You said you know where this church is?” asked the Doctor, startling Vastra slightly.

“Yes, I think so,” said Madame Vastra.

“I can get us there,” said the Doctor, “without even having to step outside.”

Vastra fought the urge to roll her eyes. She’d forgotten how much the Doctor loved showing off. “Really?” she said, doing her very best to feign surprise. “How?”

The Doctor offered a smug smirk, and Vastra fought to keep her expression curious and interested rather than annoyed. “In this machine. This machine can take us anywhere in time and space.”

“Really?” said Vastra.

“Yes,” said the Doctor. “So all we need to do is figure out where this church is, and I should be able to get us right there.”

“Well, in that case, I’d better interface with the telepathic circuits,” said Vastra, pulling off her gloves slowly.

The Doctor scowled. “How do you know about telepathic circuits?”

Vastra smiled. “A lady must keep some secrets,” she said. She put her hands into the panel, and a moment later, the TARDIS dematerialized. Vastra quickly pulled her gloves back on. The telepathic circuits were colder than they looked.

Martha walked back into the console room with Taharis, now dressed in a clean dress and coat. “Doctor, are we going somewhere?”

“Madame Vastra has kindly provided coordinates for the church,” said the Doctor. “We’re taking Taharis back to the tunnel so she can go home.”

“Thank you,” said Taharis. “I don’t think I’m going to go exploring tunnels anymore.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” said Madame Vastra. “Though you might want to tell someone about this tunnel, so they can seal it off, just in case.”

Taharis nodded. “I will.”

The TARDIS rematerialized a moment later, and Taharis, calling her thanks behind her, darted out the door and back down the tunnels to her home. Vastra smiled. She’d found the monster, but more importantly she had helped a little girl.

The Doctor grinned over at Vastra. “You know, I do have room in my TARDIS for another person. You could come with me. Explore distant stars and ancient history.”

Vastra smiled. “I know all about ancient history. I’ll leave that to you and Miss Jones.” She smiled. “And Miss Jones—Martha—you have a good heart. I hope it serves you well.”

Martha smiled. “Thank you.”

Vastra pulled down her veil, once again tucking the ends into her collar. “Now, then, if you will excuse me, I’m expecting a very important visitor very soon.”

The Doctor nodded. “It was wonderful meeting you.”

“Likewise, Doctor,” said Madame Vastra. “Should you ever find yourself in my neighborhood again, look me up.” Vastra smiled, a smile hidden by her veil, and walked out of the TARDIS, back into the cold.


End file.
